sticking to free range & avoiding laying feed

[The Yakima Kid]

Never heard of it.
After caring for a several thousand chickens and several hundred parrots, I've never cracked a pin feather.

What beautiful flocks of parrots.

 

[kbandrews]

Hawaiian chickens run wild, but you wouldn't want to eat one! I hear they are really tough.

 

[mario777]

We live on 30 acres and freerange our flock. We've found that the only birds that will get by without bothering with the layer pellets are our jungle fowl (4 roosters and 11 hens). The domestic breeds (Rhode Island Reds, Barred Rocks and Jersey Blacks) will forage for food but still seem to depend on what we put in the feeder, although its only about 1/3 of what we use in the winter. On the other hand since the feeder is in the coop, they tend to lay all the eggs in the nesting boxes, not so much so with the jungle fowl- but they are a lot cooler birds!

 

[marketgirl]

witchwriter,
i think you're doing an excellent job with your birds.

mine used to be more confined and i've found a way, on my small urban lot, to have them free range all the time. they produce very well without issue. i let them rest in the winter, i.e. don't put them under artificial light. they do get supplemental organic feed and have a variety of grasses, weeds, clovers, flowers, etc to forage.

i used to think we didn't have predators but last summer a raccoon attacked. now the dog stays in the bird yard at night: problem solved. i don't intend for the dog to fight the raccoons but she seems to keep them from invading.

anyhow, on less than 1/4 acre i run 6 hens, 3 ducks, and 2 mini-mancha goats. i really like how the animals complement each other. the birds eat whatever the goats leave and scratch their hay and manure into the ground. i would love to do what you're doing and let the yard produce all their feed, or eventually supplement with mealworms/superworms and potato/kale mash grown on site. kudos to you for figuring out how to feed your flock sustainably and very well beyond the feed store!

 

[witchwriter]

we're very lucky to have such varied plant life where we live. i didn't realize that before i started this post and listening to everybody's input. the girls do get table scraps and cracked corn mash. i am just avoiding factory made feed. i don't want to give them something i wouldn't eat since we will be eating their eggs.

congrats to you for being able to sustain on 1/4 acre! we rent this house so until that changes there will just be the laying hens we're going to be hard pressed to find a home with such varied plant life and wandering room but we've been looking. 6 chickens has made me want a small farm

 

[marketgirl]

at first i looked for a larger plot of land, say 5-10 acres. of course what you have is absolutely a dream! but 1/4 acre has kept me completely occupied. of course it is limiting in that i cannot have all the animals i want--but my friends and husband think that's a good thing! i am out to prove that a small urban plot can provide plenty for a family, with surplus for the neighborhood and even some cottage industry for income. but i digress....

it is absolutely possible for you to raise healthy and productive birds without the feed store and it seems you are doing just that! my girls didn't start laying until about 6 mos, which was the expected date. tgey wake up and put themselves to bed. their small coop is designed to be nearly maintenance-free. good design and knowledge is the key to keeping birds successfully and easily.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

ours was a rescue - he looked so pitiful - he is beautiful and very opinionated right now nobody can touch but me unless i am not in sight. i am his human and he has trained me well my son will take him when we pass away - there was always a forever plan and our son can handle him very well and would be just as lost as us if sammy were to die before us. we will not buy a parrot but we will rescue as many as we could. so far there has been just him <3 if i had never been sammy's mom i never would have ventured into chickens sammy is a rescue and we do not intend to breed him unless the right female rescue came along and that hasn't happened in 8 years. my husband so wants a scarlett - that is what he grew up with and to be honest - the B&G was a birthday gift for him but sammy chose me - i will NEVER live it down LOL

Good for you. I have a friend that's been in rescue for a long time. She used to house dozens till they found a forever home.
If she finds one down your way I could PM you if you want.

Hawaiian chickens run wild, but you wouldn't want to eat one! I hear they are really tough.

Same with any other older free range bird. Anything but a 6 week old Cornish X or Freedom ranger will be firmer. Cooking a bird like that takes talent but can be done and they are more flavorful.

We live on 30 acres and freerange our flock. We've found that the only birds that will get by without bothering with the layer pellets are our jungle fowl (4 roosters and 11 hens). The domestic breeds (Rhode Island Reds, Barred Rocks and Jersey Blacks) will forage for food but still seem to depend on what we put in the feeder, although its only about 1/3 of what we use in the winter. On the other hand since the feeder is in the coop, they tend to lay all the eggs in the nesting boxes, not so much so with the jungle fowl- but they are a lot cooler birds!

Summer makes such a big difference.

...

congrats to you for being able to sustain on 1/4 acre! we rent this house so until that changes there will just be the laying hens ...

X2

 

[The Yakima Kid]

i haven't put my ladies on feed since we brought them home and they finished their starter feed. we rent a house in the midst of about 200 acres of which my girls stay within about a 3 acre range to forage. there are so many protein sources like frogs, lizards, bugs in general they are getting plenty of protein and are growing normally. my family thinks if i feed them laying feed they will magically start laying eggs. i can't make them understand it doesn't work that way.

we introduced cracked corn about 2 weeks ago and the ladies are not especially fond of it so today i started a sour mash hoping they will like it that way. i really want yellow/orange egg yolks i have explained til i am blue in the face that laying feed just has different vitamins to prepare them for laying and that they are getting all that from foraging.

anybody else the only one refusing to feed store bought vs. foraging and catching flack from your family and please share how you are handling it. my ladies are healthy with shiny coats and even a bit of sass. they are definitely not complaining other than preferring sunflower seed to cracked corn. I just don't want all the "extras" that come in processed feed because these gals will be meat birds after they stop producing eggs. i really don't want it in my eggs either. any suggestions would be great. thanks.

deb

Suggestion: Oyster shell.

Question: What will they do for protein and vitamins in winter when the snow comes down and the frogs, lizards, insects, fresh greens are no longer around?

Mine do well on snails at the California house.

 

[witchwriter]

Good for you. I have a friend that's been in rescue for a long time. She used to house dozens till they found a forever home.
If she finds one down your way I could PM you if you want.

yes, we would be happy to take in any rescue. i have started the paperwork - just haven't finished the 301c. i will pm you our details

 

[witchwriter]

Suggestion: Oyster shell.

Question: What will they do for protein and vitamins in winter when the snow comes down and the frogs, lizards, insects, fresh greens are no longer around?

Mine do well on snails at the California house.

we live in central florida and there is no snow - it does get cold and we will supplement with more protein but the grass and other plant life really doesn't die out. this will be our first winter coming up so i'm not sure as to how much we will have to supplement but the birds will definitely come before my steadfast idea of avoiding laying feed